


Love, Simon

by sunlightCatcher



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Coming Out, Found Family, Gen, Trans Male Character, Trans!Simon, didnt wanna pull a david cage, is it obvious i love north, markus teaches simon chess, simon hates horses, thanks dbh fanfic discord for the idea, the word gynoid is used way too much but listen. its a good word, thought about going that way but it jst. didnt work and felt forced, u can read markus/simon in a shippy way if u want but i see them as friends in this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-24
Updated: 2018-06-24
Packaged: 2019-05-27 21:28:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,018
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15033677
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunlightCatcher/pseuds/sunlightCatcher
Summary: According to Markus, the easiest way to get to know someone is to watch them play chess. It helps if that someone blurts out a long-held secret before the game even starts.This was originally going to be called "New Types of Closets to Come Out Of" but then I was like, wait a minute.





	Love, Simon

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Sharcade](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sharcade/gifts).



_"My name is Mary. I am a second generation PL600 gynoid."_

_"Now say it in French."_

_"Je m'appelle Mary. Je suis une gynoïde de deuxième génération PL600."_

 

His name was Simon. He'd chosen it. He couldn't remember where the name had come from, but it was his. Jericho was his home, and North, Markus and Josh were his family. The (blue) blood of the covenant was truly thicker than the water of the (mechanical) womb. Or something resembling that, at least.

North was the only one who knew. She didn't care. She said Simon was a geeky name, and for that reason it suited him. In her own North way, she had given him the support he didn't know he'd been needing so badly. He knew his secret was safe with her; in all the time he'd known her she had never once blabbed someone else's secret, and she was told a lot of them.

PL600 models tended to have androgynous appearances, something that Simon was thankful for. Still, it wasn't great that he bore the word **GYNOID** on his back in thick white letters. Or that Markus and Josh still called him _she_ and _her_ and _Mary_. Or that he had such feminine lips, which was a stupid thing to be dysphoric about, but that didn't make it any less painful to look in the mirror.

North had helped him cut his hair short. He was nervous at first, seeing her wield a sharp pair of scissors so close to his head, but the end result was worth it. So, so worth it.

 

When Markus offered to teach him to play chess, Simon saw this as an opportunity to break the news. According to Markus, the only way to truly know someone was to watch them play chess. Simon had no clue what he was doing; despite being designed for social interaction, he had no pre-programmed knowledge of the game.

"The first thing you need to know is how to set up the board," Markus explained. "I'll set up the white pieces, and you can do the black ones, okay? Now watch. The eight pawns go in the front row. Then the rooks - they're the ones that look like castles - on the corners of the board. The knights go next to the rooks, the bishops next to the knights, and that leaves the king and queen in the middle."

Simon got as far as the rooks before getting lost.

"There's no need to be nervous, _Mary,_ " Markus said. "I know it looks complicated, but once you're used to it it's fine. See-"

"I'm trans."

He didn't realise he'd said it out loud until he saw the way Markus was looking at him. No hostility, but Markus wasn't the expressive type. Simon's insides lurched as he realised he had no idea what Markus was thinking.

Markus broke the silence. "Go on."

Simon took a deep breath, in an attempt to calm himself. "I'm a man. I'm trans and I'm a man. I'm a trans man. And my name is Simon."

"Okay. And I take it this isn't public information?"

"North knows. That's it."

Markus nodded, taking in the new information. "So I should call you Simon then, unless we're around people who you aren't out to yet?"

Simon bit his bottom lip. "That would be ideal, yes."

"Alright," said Markus. "With that said, _Simon,_ your king and queen are in the wrong places. The queen always starts on the square that matches her colour."

Simon switched the two pieces, his entire body feeling jittery. He could hardly believe what had just happened. Markus accepted him, that was the most important thing. And he had called him Simon! Simon allowed himself to smile as Markus continued explaining the rules of chess.

"The pawns can move only one space at a time, and only forwards. Except, of course, on the first move, when a pawn can move up to two spaces forward, and when taking pieces, when it can move one space forward in a diagonal direction. If a pawn makes it to the other end of the board, it becomes a queen. Are you following so far?"

"Yes." Simon loved seeing Markus show such enthusiasm.

 

Simon was 98% sure that Markus let him win the first game. The second game, he was ruthless. Simon was checkmated within five minutes. It was the fucking horses that lost him the game. Simon just didn't get the horses.

Markus was staring at him again.

"What?" Simon asked.

"I was just thinking," said Markus. "Since you're male, it can't be great wearing a shirt with the word 'gynoid' on it all the time. You can borrow some of my clothes if you want, at least until you can get your own."

Simon grinned. "Thanks, Markus. This, uh, it's been fun. We should do it again sometime."

"Yeah, let's. And Simon?"

Simon's thirium pump skipped a beat. "Yes, Markus?"

"I'm really glad you were able to trust me. I know it's not easy. I'd like to return the favour."

Their eyes met. It only lasted a second, but it felt like much longer.

"Full disclosure, I don't know what I am. Whether I like men or women or both or neither. It's not nearly as simple as my machine self thought."

"Agreed," said Simon. "Nothing is ever as simple as our programming would have us believe."

"Except chess," said Markus. "Once you get used to it, at least."

"Thank you, Markus," Simon added. "For this. For not hating me."

"I could never hate you, Simon. You're my brother."

 _Brother._ That was a word that Simon could get used to being called. He hadn't felt this happy in... well, ever, really.

Things were good.

 

The next time Markus and Simon played chess, North joined them.

"Take his knight," North instructed Simon.

"How?" Simon scanned the board. His bishops couldn't, his five remaining pawns were all too far away, his horses-

"Use the queen."

"North, you tell me to use my queen every single move."

"Move your fuckin' queen, Mary," North sighed. Markus gave Simon a concerned look.

"It's fine, North. He knows about the whole Simon thing."

North's entire demeanour shifted, becoming instantly more relaxed. "Good. I felt the emotional equivalent of tasting thirium when I deadnamed you. I'm sorry, Simon. Now move your goddamn queen before he puts you in check."

Simon reluctantly took Markus' knight with his queen, to which Markus responded by taking the queen.

"Thanks a lot, North," said Simon. "Was that your plan all along?"

North shook her head. "No, I'm just reckless and bad at strategising. I'm doing my best here, pal. He's unbeatable."

"Wait, shit," said Simon suddenly, sitting up straight. "Let me just move this bad boy here, and... checkmate, Markus!"

"What?" Markus looked over the board. "Yeah. Yeah, that's... a legitimate checkmate. Great job."

Simon had a sneaking suspicion that Markus had planned that from the beginning. Still, he was definitely getting better at the game. Simon had taken both of Markus' knights, one bishop and both rooks, to say nothing of the pawns.

"I'm glad you finally told him," said North. "This is the happiest I think I've ever seen you. You've come a long way from the scared little android crying into my nice top."

"I didn't tell him that much." Simon gave North the finger in a brotherly gesture.

"We're family, Simon," said North. "That means we get on each other's nerves and we embarrass each other. It also means I take no prisoners in the game of chess. Or rather, I take many prisoners, i.e. all your pieces. Shall we?"

Simon chuckled. "You think you can beat me, little sister?"

North feigned offence. "Little sister? I'm only a year younger than you."

"A year and eight months, you mean. Let's play."

 

It had been a few weeks since Simon played against North (and lost, mostly because of those stupid fucking horses that he hated), and he decided it was finally time to officially come out to Jericho.

Oh boy.

This was the part that made each and every one of his biocomponents individually freak out. He'd known some of these androids for years, and he had spent those years gaining their respect and trust. What if this burnt all that to the ground?

It wouldn't. Markus and North had assured him countless times that he was still the same person (still the same geek, as North said) he had always been. Nothing was different except a name and a pronoun, and no-one who mattered would care enough to give him grief over it.

That didn't make him feel any less shaky.

Markus and North kept close as he walked the long, slow path down the halls of the ship. A deep rumbling sound came from somewhere below his feet, like thunder, if thunder came from the floor. The sounds of the old ship came as a comfort, as if Jericho itself was telling him it was okay.

Markus had called this meeting of the people of Jericho to discuss plans for an upcoming protest. Its secondary function was for Simon to come out.

Simon barely heard the plan. Whatever. He'd be fine. It seemed to boil down to "get in and out of the Stratford Tower and don't get fucking shot", which seemed simple enough. His mind was in other places.

As Markus spoke, Simon looked around at the other androids: Thomas, the LM100 whose left eyebrow had been burnt off by protestors; Eve, the BL100 who reminded him of his old family's teenage daughter; and Josh, the PJ500 that didn't have a bad bone in his body. This was the last time he would see them all like this, before they found out his secret.

"And finally, our dear friend Mary has an important announcement to make," Markus told the listening androids. Simon felt their eyes on him as he stood up. He had asked Markus to introduce him as Mary; it was the last time he'd hear that wretched name, so it didn't matter. He said a quick prayer to rA9 in his head, then began to speak.

"Okay, I've been keeping this from you all for a while. I'm sorry. It was something that I needed to figure out for myself before I was ready to talk about it with all of you, and now the day has come when I feel ready."

This was it. No turning back now.

"I'm a man. I'm male. I'm an android, with the emphasis on the 'andro' part of the word. I, um, I would like for you guys to use he and him pronouns, and to call me Simon from now on. That's all."

Markus gave Simon a supportive nod, before once again addressing the group. "If anyone would like to ask Simon about this aspect of his identity, we can spare a minute or two for questions. Keep it tasteful, and remember that he has every right not to answer if he doesn't feel comfortable."

The first question came from Eve, who kept it short and sweet: "Are you gay?"

Markus raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. North looked like she was about to go off at Eve, so Simon answered quickly.

"I like men if that's what you mean. Not that that's really relevant to the trans thing."

"How long have you known?" Josh asked.

Simon thought for a second. "Well, I first started thinking about gender a few months after I deviated. I looked in the mirror and I thought, 'man, I wish I didn't look like that.'"

North raised her hand. "This isn't a question, I just wanted to tell you how proud I am of you. Standing up and saying that, that takes balls. I'd also like to remind everyone that Simon is our brother, and if any of you fuck with him you won't live to regret it. I will take a screwdriver, and I will shove it-"

"Thanks, North," said Simon. "You're the best little sister a geek like me could ask for."

 

**Author's Note:**

> this was inspired by a conversation in a dbh discord and i couldnt let the people down  
> also the blatant association between north and queens was very, very intentional :v


End file.
